


The Cryptid Support Group Chronicles (or How Jungkook Learns to Forget His Worries and Love Himself)

by LillieBlue



Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: F/F, F/M, Group Therapy, M/M, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Other, Rating May Change, Taehyung is a vampire, first few chapters will be heavy on exposition, jk is a werewolf, neurodivergent jungkook, oh also they're all spooky beasties ;), oops I gave him trauma, vmin soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:14:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26832745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LillieBlue/pseuds/LillieBlue
Summary: jeon jungkook is a werewolf and now he's in a support group cause his changes give him anxiety and he needs to make friends outside of his older brother. He expects to muddle his way through and tell his therapist it didn't work. He definitely didn't expect it to help.READ AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END PLS!!
Kudos: 3





	The Cryptid Support Group Chronicles (or How Jungkook Learns to Forget His Worries and Love Himself)

**Author's Note:**

> ***EDIT: I've made a few changes to the overarching plot to this fic since writer's block has been well and truly kicking my ass. Stay tuned to see what changes I've decided to make!!***

It all started for Jungkook in the 7th grade. It was way before he met any of his current friends and he knew that if he’d known his hyungs back then instead of in high school, he wouldn’t be in this situation. Summer camp that year was hectic, new campers swarming the grounds. He was settling into his assigned cabin when he first heard the rumor.

“Did you hear? There’s a werewolf in the woods!” His head whipped towards the whispers, but the speaker had already moved on. A werewolf, in these parts, didn’t make sense to him. According to his older brother, werewolves preferred smaller towns with wide fields and fewer people. “That way, they can hunt in peace, and if someone goes missing, it’s less likely to be noticed,” he’d said with a wink, not registering the fear in Jungkook’s face. 

In present time, he shuddered at the thought of a werewolf picking off his fellow campers and counselors one by one. Quickly, he shoved his duffle bag in its cubby hole in the wall and ran back out into the sunlight, leaving thoughts of the creature behind.

Camp went by, humid summer days spent canoeing and playing various games and breezy summer nights spent around a campfire, laughing and roasting marshmallows. Strangely, the werewolf was never brought up during these campfires. Stories exchanged were usually about ghosts or other cryptids. It made him wonder if the counselors had anything to do with it.  


It’s the last week of summer camp. The counselors were leading their last archery lesson when Ryan, one of the younger campers, shot his arrow too high and it sailed over the tree line. The nearest counselor, Amy, looks at Ryan exasperatedly while he looks sheepish. “Looks like you’re gonna have to go get it, kid,” she says, crossing her arms before turning to help a girl named Jenna behind her. Ryan pales under his summer tan and turns to Jungkook, who’d been pretending he hadn’t seen it happen to save his friend the embarrassment. “Hey… Jungkook?” a small voice pipes up and Jungkook looks at him. Ryan rubs the back of his neck, “Do… do you think you could come with me? To get the arrow back?” he looks around quickly before leaning into him, “I’m scared of the werewolf.”

Jungkook pulls back, then glances around before asking, “You believe in that, too?” Ryan’s eyes light up with a mixture of wonder and fear and he nods, “It has to be true! Nicky saw it!” They both look towards an older camper, who hits a bullseye and high fives his buddy. ‘Well, if an older kid saw it, it must be true.’ Jungkook thinks, before agreeing to help Ryan.

In classic preteen fashion, the two boys sneak away from the group as they start to walk towards the mess hall, forgetting that lunch is normally when a head count happens.  


They enter the forest when Amy begins the count, Ryan trips over a fallen branch when they notice them missing, Jungkook finds the arrow as they run out to look for them and the wolf howls in pain as he pulls the arrow free of the ‘tree’. 

Ryan backs away from the scene in the clearing in front of him; Jungkook stands frozen in front of an enormous wolf as it lunges for the boy’s neck. Screams echo throughout the trees and every counselor runs in that direction. 

Jungkook hangs from the wolf’s mouth, unable to scream. Distantly, he realizes the scream wasn’t from him. 

The counselors burst into the clearing and Ryan is sobbing with his head over Jungkook’s wound, clutching him close and apologizing profusely. Amy barks orders at the other counselors and while one calls an ambulance and another calls his parents, she approaches the children on the ground. Ryan calms down once Amy whispers soothing nothings to him and she’s able to pick up the motionless 12-year-old and lead Ryan back to camp.

Despite rigorous searching and questioning, the wolf is never found. Jungkook survives and never goes back to summer camp but starts going to therapy, physical and mental. 

The bite heals and at first, his parents’ fears of the curse being passed to him are assuaged. He’s a healthy, albeit jumpy boy. The doctors run tests and convince them he would be fine, no moon curse here. 

On the eve of his 18th birthday however, things changed. Jungkook is just glad his brother was such a cryptid expert. If not for him, he may not have survived his first change. He’s gotten used to the convulsions and the joint pain. He’s still learning to deal with the appetite that leads to the change though. His whole family knows, all his friends know and he’s fine. In fact, he found out that what happened to him is more common than he thought.

His best friend, Taehyung was bit by a vampire when he had turned 24… in 1925. A night out gone wrong, he said whenever Jungkook asked him for the story. 

They’d met at a support group meeting of all places. It was for mythical beasts, or cryptids as they preferred to be called, living in the modern world and Jungkook’s therapist had suggested he go to try to make friends.

“I’d like you to try and come out of your shell this year. I feel like you’ve made an amazing amount of progress since the first time I met you, but I know you still have that fear of being left out.” Dr. Ahn Hyejin said to him at the previous session, tapping her pen against her notepad. Jungkook’s ears twitched under his shaggy hair with each tap. His skin itched and he wondered if he’d forgotten when his next change was… again. Dr. Ahn noticed his fidget and pointed her pen to the calendar on her desk which showed the date and moon phase. As a well renowned cryptid therapist (and a selkie herself), she always had her patients’ needs in mind, almost preternaturally so. Near 30 years in this field had sharpened her senses and she could tell Jungkook wasn’t just anxious, but terrified as well. 

She crossed the room smoothly and sat next to the fidgety boy, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. He meets her eyes and she smiles reassuringly, “Don’t worry, I won’t make you go if you don’t feel ready. It’s just a suggestion I thought to bring up since you’ve talked about your want to have more friends before. These people have been in your shoes and are just as nervous as you. You’re not alone, Jungkook.” He smiles, his head bowed before he nods. He surprises her when he leaves, as he grabs a pamphlet from the wall. He flashes her a breathtaking smile as he does so, and she knows he is going to be alright. 

He enters the office building from the address on the pamphlet. He glances down at it to check the room and floor number again, and he can’t help a small smile from sliding onto his face. The pamphlet has little cartoon drawings of werewolves and vampires, along with some others he doesn’t recognize. One looks to be a fairy. He isn’t sure but it has wings and others have tails and ears. He self-consciously pats his beanie, which hide his shifting ears. The moon is a waxing crescent tonight. He sighs and heads to the elevator. 

He’s just stepped inside when he hears, “Hold the door please!” Instinctively, his arm shoots out and stops the door from closing. His ears nearly knock his beanie off trying to perk up in the direction of the new voice and he quickly fixes his hat as the person enters the elevator. He walks right into the back wall of the elevator and groans… loudly. Jungkook checks for other people before moving his arm and pressing Door Close on the panel of buttons. When he turns back to the now-silent newcomer, he taps him on the shoulder. The person flips around almost violently, eyes wide. Jungkook’s arms fly up defensively and he stiffens. His mind starts racing with doubt and he wonders if he should maybe go home, when he speaks. “Oh god, I’m so sorry! I swear, I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m just not feeling it today and I tend to get jumpy.” Jungkook relaxes, but not really.

“My name is Taehyung. What’s yours?” He offers a hand and a boxy smile, and Jungkook is about to respond before the elevator dings open, still on the first floor. A few people stand waiting for it and they shuffle in when the door opens. One of the new people presses a number on the panel and he’s relieved to see it’s the same floor number as him. Taehyung watches him over the heads of the new people and his gaze only wavers when he notices the twitching under his gray beanie. He looks back towards the front and adjusts the backpack on his shoulder. The elevator dings pleasantly on each floor but doesn’t open until the top floor is reached. Everyone present shuffles off, all walking towards the same room. Jungkook steps off last and checks the pamphlet again. 

He smiles softly at the drawings again. He walks in the opposite direction as everyone else, then turns around and hurries after them. The door looks heavy and wooden and the plaque near the door simply reads ‘Support Group M-W-F’. He pushes the door open and stiffens when all eyes in the room turn towards him. He spots the boxy smile across the room and beelines towards the familiar face. Taehyung watches with an amused look in his eyes.  


Jungkook curses the moon and the wolf that bit him 8 years ago. He watches with wide eyes as the group around him talks to each other. His instincts, stronger the closer to the full moon, tell him to find the leader. Instead, he stands behind Taehyung. He turns to smile at Jungkook and continues his conversation with the delicate featured boy in front of him. His eyes are sleepy, but his jaw is sharp, and his lips are full and plush. Jungkook watches the conversation with interest and doesn’t notice when it shifts to him.

“Huh?” he manages to say, making Taehyung giggle and pat him on the head. “I was just asking you what your name was! I didn’t catch it on the elevator, sweetie.” He blushes and ducks his head. He mumbles his answer and Taehyung leans in, “What was that?” Jungkook lifts his head and shakes Taehyung’s hand off his head, his beanie sliding off halfway. The tips of his ears are flattened to his head and he says in a gentle deep voice, “I said, my name is Jungkook. Jeon Jungkook.” He nervously reaches for the pamphlet in his back pocket and shows it to Taehyung. “Am I in the right room? The plaque just says support group.” Taehyung lights up and claps his hands together. The sudden noise has everyone in the room turning towards the small group and Jungkook shrinks in on himself a little. He fixes his beanie to fully cover his ears and Taehyung turns to address the room. 

“Welcome everyone! Please, make your way to the chairs and have a seat! We have a new member joining us today!” The group shuffles to the circle and sits down and Taehyung pulls Jungkook to the center and sits down in the chair across from him. “So… why don’t you tell us your name, what you are, and how you came to learn about our ragtag little support group?” 

Jungkook’s heart beats hard in his chest. He tries to calm down and finds himself staring dead into Taehyung’s eyes. He introduces himself, and the group says their greetings, “I was bit when I was 12, but I didn’t turn for the first time until I was 18.” He pauses and remembers how terrified his family had been as his older brother, Jaehyun, pushed them towards the door, shouting that he had it under control. “Um, I’m a werewolf. My therapist, Dr. Ahn, told me about this group. She said this could help me make… friends…?” The end of his sentence trails off and he reddens once he realizes he’s been staring at Taehyung the whole time.

He bows, unsure of what else to say, and takes the last empty seat, next to a girl who appears to glow. 

Taehyung stands and introduces himself, then gives a little speech about what the group does and how they’ve helped in the past, “Our group doesn’t have a name, but we’re here to help you cope with your changes and how they affect your day to day life! This isn’t a mandatory group; we understand you may not be able to make every meeting. If that is the case, make sure to try and notify one of us if you need help. As the founder of this group, I make it my priority to help as many of you as possible through tough times. My assistant,” the beautiful boy next to him scoffs and stands, looping an arm around his shoulder, “Park Jimin should also be available to help you if I’m not. Any questions, Jungkook?”

Jungkook looks up from fiddling with the frayed ends of his sleeves and shakes his head, then sheepishly he nods. “What are you guys?” he blurts out, then ducks his head again when some giggles erupt around him. “Oh no, I’m sorry, was that rude? I haven’t interacted with other people like you, like me, like ever! My brother was the expert in our family and everything he knew he learned online or in class. Well, I mean my therapist is a selkie so I kinda know one other person; does that even count? If she’s being paid to talk to me? Plus, she’s a doctor so that probably makes it different, right?” He would’ve kept rambling if the girl next to him didn’t gently place a hand on his shoulder. A wave of calm washes over him and he settles back in his seat with a sigh.

“Thanks, Jieun.” Taehyung says from his seat. The petite girl sitting next to him smiles and pipes up, “No problem! He’s a nervous boy, huh?” She turns to Jungkook, whose gaze has drifted around the room and smiles at everyone in turn. “My name is Jieun! I’m about 250 years old and I came into my magic when I was about… 50? It was a while ago, but I remember feeling nervous like you!” Jungkook gasps, “But you’re so small!! How are you so old?” He places a worried hand on top of her head and sniffs at her curiously. She giggles at his attention, “I’m a pixie! Well, half on my mom’s side, so I wasn’t born with my magic. Aging also works different with my family. We get to pick when we stop aging and I stopped when I was 25! I just happen to look young regardless.”

Jungkook nods and sniffs her again, realizing the strange smell coming from her must be the smell of magic. It is a powerful smell, like age and dirt and something tempting. He decides he likes it and nuzzles his head on hers. He hears a snicker and pulls away, turning red as he remembers where he is. Jieun smiles at him and pats his hand, and another calming wave falls over him.

He smiles as the next person introduces themselves, “Yo, most of y’all already know me, but for our newest member, my name is Kim Namjoon and I am a nature spirit. Well, technically a dryad, but I think nature spirit is better since I do not limit my influence on just forests. I like to visit the sea as much as possible and I love to hang out with animals. I volunteer at an animal shelter when I’m not studying for my environmental science degree.” 

His eyes scrunched up when he smiled and Jungkook stared with stars in his eyes. The tall man looked sturdy and welcoming as he stood by his chair. His soft, wavy hair was the color of soil, cool black against his deep tan skin. He was dressed in overalls with a tank top underneath, his dirty boots were well worn, and his arms corded with muscle and Jungkook could not stop staring. “You can call me hyung!” he finished with as he sat back down, dimples brightening his face. 

Jungkook smiled and in the back of his mind he hoped his teeth did not look sharper than normal. The next person who stood was slightly hunched over, hands in his pockets. “Hi, my name is Min Yoongi,” the sleek ears on his head twitched, “and I’m a cat boy.” He starts to sit down again when Taehyung clears his throat. Yoongi looks at him and Taehyung raises an eyebrow. He sighs and stands up again, “I’m technically a werecat, which is a curse passed down to every eldest son, after one of my ancestors pissed off a panther, which turned out to be a minor god. Now, on the full moon I turn into one.” He shrugs and scratches one of his ears, “I’ve been like this my whole life, and if I have any kids, it’ll pass to them. The curse can’t be lifted so my family’s just been dealing with it. I’ve got a thing for rare steak now too.” He nods, like a period at the end of his sentence and sits down.

Jungkook sniffed curiously in his direction as well, getting a faint smell from Yoongi under the cologne he wore. Like Jieun, it was old and powerful but much, much fainter. There was a dark undertone that sent a chill down his spine and he shivered as he settled back into his chair. The next person to stand smiled brightly and faced Jungkook to introduce himself, “Hello! My name is Hoseok, but you can call me Hobi! All of my friends call me that!” His grin seemed to get wider as he posed with flower hands under his slim face. His eyes flickered with different colors and his hair flashed between red, brown and black. His scent seemed to shift with each change and Jungkook wrinkled his nose. Hoseok’s eyes flash red and he approaches Jungkook. His face holds a stern expression and he looks him right in the face.

Suddenly, Jungkook is in front of a mirror. Hoseok’s face had shifted to look identical to Jungkook, right down to the little scar on his cheek and the ears currently shifting from human to wolf. Jungkook yelps in surprise and he jumps, nearly falling backwards. Hoseok catches the spooked boy with a giggle. He notices that his laugh has shifted as well, and pulls him into a standing position. “I’m a shapeshifter, or face-stealer as Yoongi calls it.” Yoongi huffs from his seat and grumbles something about disrespectful dongsaengs. “I am able to completely change my appearance at will, but I didn’t always. Before I was 16, I was unable to control it so well! Took me a few years before I stopped shifting every time I sneezed!”

Jungkook frowns during this whole interaction, his nose twitching with, oddly enough, his own scent. It’s familiar, but uncanny. Jungkook makes a mental note to ask his brother when he gets home about it. Hoseok shifts back from Jungkook’s smiling face to his own, heart-shaped grin. He pulls the younger boy into a strong hug and Jungkook relaxes as his scent envelopes him. It’s calming, but in a different way to Jieun. Her scent is calm in a homey way, almost like fresh laundry or his house after a very long trip. Hoseok’s is calming in a friendly way, like a home-cooked meal shared with old friends. 

As he pulls away, Hoseok gently pokes the end of his nose, “Boop! I hope we can be good friends!” He smiles wide and bounces back to his seat. Jungkook blushes and smiles shyly at him. The next few people to introduce themselves passed in a blur. Another girl introduces herself as Moonbyul, who is another selkie, and Jungkook wonders if she knows Dr. Ahn, a young man goes next and introduces himself as Kyungsoo who is surprisingly, another vampire, and so on. Jungkook doesn’t mean to tune out but the next thing he knows, Taehyung claps his hands a single time and stands. “Well! That concludes this week’s meeting! Jungkook, I’m so happy to welcome you into our group and I hope your next turn goes off without a hitch.” He smiles a radiant boxy smile and Jungkook can’t help but smile back. The group applauds and welcomes him. Jieun puts a hand on his shoulder and Moonbyul ruffles his hair. He stays behind to chat with Jieun, and he gets her number and makes plans with her to get coffee together and Yoongi and Hoseok approach him with the promise to hang out. Jungkook thanks them for their numbers and mentally thanks Dr. Ahn for her advice to come to the support group. He feels welcome and happy. 

He goes to leave the room and Taehyung stops him, “Can I talk to you for a few minutes?” 

“Sure. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to personally welcome you to the group. I’ve talked to your therapist, Dr. Ahn, and she told me about your case. I’m glad you decided to join us at our humble group. I was afraid you wouldn’t show.” He smiles and pats him on the shoulder. Jungkook flashes his wide smile, his nose scrunching up and his eyes closing. Taehyung is shocked to see his teeth aren’t sharp, but almost bunny-like. He can’t help but smile back and ruffles his hair before leaving. Jungkook watches him leave, the smile never quite leaving his face.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again ^-^ I hope you enjoyed reading my fic! twas a work of love for the boys and the supernatural all rolled into one! feedback and kudos are appreciated. share this fic if you liked it, and if you REALLY liked it show it to your mom and get her to return my calls! (jk jk I don't actually know your mom and I can barely talk to girls ;-;)
> 
> next chapter should be up in the next few weeks, but school is kicking my butt so I guess we'll have to see haha
> 
> please wait for the next chapter with bated breath (wait no don't actually hold your breath no wait sto-) because this next chapter will introduce a few new characters ;)


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